Please use the remaining cap space on Long and Laurinaitis

[brokeu91]

I really hope the Rams use their space to lock up Long and Laurinaitis. I believe they are both FA next year, and are both cornerstone players for our organization. We need to build around them, not lose them.

 

[RamFan503]

Re: Please use the remaining cap space on Long and Laurinait

While I'll certainly agree that we need to do whatever it takes to retain those two, I have actually seen where people are calling for the Rams to get Long signed to an extension and by doing so they can pay him his due and also structure the deal so that he counts as less of a hit against the cap. So it sounds like they could do that, lock him up for several years, AND actually make more room under the cap rather than use up our remaining cap space on his contract.

I haven't looked but doesn't JL have two years left on his contract?

edit: OK - I just looked. Guess not. Yep - time to work on his contract too. Dude is SERIOUSLY underpaid.

 

[Anonymous]

Re: Please use the remaining cap space on Long and Laurinait

I really hope the Rams use their space to lock up Long and Laurinaitis. I believe they are both FA next year, and are both cornerstone players for our organization. We need to build around them, not lose them.

They don't need cap space to lock those guys up.

They just pen a deal for Long that converts this years numbers into a longterm deal. In extending him they then lower his cap hit for the year.

So not only do they not need any space to extend him, extending him could even create more cap space in 2012.

 

[-X-]

Re: Please use the remaining cap space on Long and Laurinait

I really hope the Rams use their space to lock up Long and Laurinaitis. I believe they are both FA next year, and are both cornerstone players for our organization. We need to build around them, not lose them.

They don't need cap space to lock those guys up.

They just pen a deal for Long that converts this years numbers into a longterm deal. In extending him they then lower his cap hit for the year.

So not only do they not need any space to extend him, extending him could even create more cap space in 2012.

And of course both would have to be agreeable to that. Not necessarily a popular trend in the NFL to forgo testing the FA market.